3 . Sara Kays, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Indiana, US, is a(n) ________ star on online video-sharing platforms. She not only uses TikTok to ________ her music but also posts partially-finished snippets (片段) of songs to get ________ from her followers.

“It’s been cool to engage with people that way, and sometimes I’ll ________ to a comment of someone asking me if I could write a song about an idea they suggested,” said Kays.

Kays has been using online platforms to pursue her music dream to ________ effect. Now, she is a TikTok celebrity with about 1.3 million followers. She released her breakup song Remember That Night? in November 2020. The post ________, getting almost three million views. Kays has ________ singing since she was young. At 11, she got a guitar from her mother and then started to ________ while playing. Two years later, she began busking (街头卖艺) on the streets in her hometown,   which she had been doing throughout high school. ________, people started asking her to play at restaurants and she also started to ________ some live videos on YouTube, gaining her more and more followers.

Different from other content creators who update their content ________, Kays updates on a weekly basis and only posts videos about her songs and ________ stories, such as singing, playing the guitar or ukelele, recording in the studio and shooting music videos.

Now, Kays has ________ with a music company. She hopes to sing live and go on tour. In Kays’ eyes, people like her songs and videos ________ she shows the ideal package for a TikToker: relatable (易产生共鸣的), authentic (真实的) and youthful. “I just sing and share my feelings about divorced parents, body image, loneliness and mental health,” said Kays. “I want more people to know they’re not alone with the ________ in their lives.”

4 . When my sister Diane began playing the violin, she was seven. How did she sound? Terrible. But she didn’t ___. At twelve, she asked our parents if she could ___ a full-time music school. They said no. Actually, everyone agreed that my sister lacked talent.

I was better at my ___. My teacher had told my parents that I had great potential. So my parents found the best piano teacher in the area to ___ me. But the only time when he was available was Saturday at 3 pm. Back then, I was ___ by the British TV show The Avengers, which was ___ every Saturday at 3 pm. I let nothing take up my The Avengers hour. So I ___ this amazing opportunity. Today, I don’t even have a ___ in my house.

My sister became an engineer, but she ___ stopped making music. When she was in her 40s, she changed her career. She went back to college, got a ____ in music education, and became a music teacher. She starts kids off on their first instrument and gives them all the encouragement and support she never ____.

Recently, she and a pianist pal put on a recital (音乐演奏会). A big crowd of friends and family ____ for her. As she played, I looked around at the ____. Everyone was obviously enjoying the music. It occurred to me that I was the only person who remembered that 7-year-old kid making those perfectly ____ sounds and knew how far she had come, despite ____.

Talent is important. But enthusiasm is even more important.

5 . Where did you go yesterday? Did you hear _______ at any of those places? There is a good chance that you did. Today most stores and _______ play music. You might even hear music in an office or on a farm. Scientists believe that music _______ the way people behave.

According to some scientists, the _______ of western classical music (Mozart and Bach) makes people feel _______. When a restaurant plays classical music, people spend _______ money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays _______ music, people feel poorer and spend less money. With no   _______ music, people spend even less. Scientists also believe that loud, fast music makes people eat faster. People _______ chew (咀嚼) their food faster when the music gets faster. Some restaurants play fast music during their   ________. This gets people to eat faster and leave ________. Restaurants can make more money this way.

Some scientists think that music makes you think and learn better. They say that music helps ________ to be more alert (警觉的). It is true that people learn better when they are relaxed. And ________ music can help you relax.

The next time you hear music somewhere, be ________. It might change the way you   ________.

7 . In kindergarten, I met my first love—dancing. For the last eleven years, I have spent many hours at the dance studio. The _______ I began as a little girl has shaped my personality, forming _______ that I will have for the rest of my life.

Once while our dance team _______ for the state competition, six senior members quit without notice, leaving our team without a   _______. My team’s enthusiasm for the season was cut in half. _______ , I was determined to become the new captain and lead my team past this obstacle.

During the first practice after the seniors quit, my team’s emotion was_______ . As a leader, I tried to motivate my team through_______ . I started to do _______ work outside practice to improve my kicking technique. My team respected me as a coach because I showed _______. On weekends , I spent hours trying to make up a creative competition routine. I wanted my team members to ________ the dance and perform well.

Before the state meet, I drilled the ________ into the girls’ heads and constantly encouraged them to work together. I would shout out names of people who were ________ well during the dance, and the girls would ________with even more energy. Through my dance experience, I also found I got better by ________ myself. I mixed new skills into the routine for the state competition to ________ my team’s technique. We wanted to prove to ourselves and our school that we could still be a(n)________ dance team without the girls who ________.

On the stage, I felt my team’s ________. I was proud that we were able to rebuild our confidence and go beyond our expectation at the state competition. We were ________ for all our hard work by placing in the top five. This experience taught me a lesson: with a passion for something, I could ________ any obstacle with creativity and determination.